Years before Dr. Oz wrote his book You, The Owners Manual (2005) (which I haven’t read) I attended a work shop about taking responsibility for and owning your health. Bottom line: You invest in a 401K or an IRA for your future financial health but what are you doing now for your future physical health because what good is all your money if you’re sick and miserable, in pain, totally stressed out and not having much fun? So here’s the question. What am I doing every day to build/maintain my health or to destroy it? Think OWNERS. Oxygen (clean air/breathing properly), Water (volume/quality), Nutrition (real food/supplements), Energy (exercise/meditation – yes, meditation actually builds energy), Relaxation (meditation/yoga/reading), S(sleep/stress reduction). Some friends think I’m crazy for where I spend my time/energy and resources but I think Thomas Jefferson had it right in 1826 when he wrote, “Without health there is no happiness. An attention to health, then, should take the place of every other object”.

You hear this all the time, how good it is for you, how it will reduce your stress, your blood pressure but sometimes just thinking about it increases your stress because you just don’t have time, you don’t know how, your mind wanders, you can’t sit still. So try this: Walk. Just walk. Around your neighborhood, your block or just around your yard in a circle at least twice. No cell phone, no ipod, no kids, no dog, no destination, no purpose other than just to walk. Notice a tree, a bush, a bench. Does it look different the second time around? The busier you are, the more you need to do this: just walk, even for just 5 minutes. You’ll be amazed at how much you notice when you are not rushing or have a cell phone in your hand.

Years ago I read that the single most important thing you can do for your health is meditate. I took it upon myself to buy books on how to meditate, to learn about it. Mind you, I never did it, just read about it, thinking I needed to know all this information before I tried it.

Forget the books, just walk. And when the days are warmer, do it barefoot. The journey is the point here, not the destination. This is meditation.

Adelle Davis, nutritionist and author, and considered by many to be “the Mother of Nutrition” wrote in 1947, “As I see it, every day you do one of two things: build health or produce diseases in yourself.” My mother was a devotee of Adelle Davis and made yogurt in the 1950’s long before any commercial yogurt was a gleam in any manufacturers eye.  Rather than resolutions at this time of the year, which in my case are always doomed to failure, I like to make choices and changes to build health and they almost always include trying new things.  I ‘m going to add more fermented foods to my diet. First on the list is Kombucha and even finding a SCOBY (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast which sounds, looks and feels disgusting but what the heck, it’s all about trying new things) to make my own. Fascinating and funny article by Kristin Hinman in Washington Post Food Section on December 28th about Kombucha. What choices and changes have you decided to make this New Year?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/12/28/AR2010122801689.html

As the holidays draw to a close, the new year begins and life gets back to normal, whatever that is, with kids heading back to school and full work weeks resuming, I think about the meals shared with friends and family as well as my some of my hopes for the new year. For me, the nourishment from sharing our meals with friends and family is as important as the nourishment from the meal itself. I think the following quote sums it up quite well.

“When we invite friends (and family) for a meal, we do much more than offer them food for their bodies. We offer friendship, fellowship, good conversation, intimacy and closeness. When we say, “Help yourself, …take some more…don’t be shy…have another glass”, we offer our guests not only our food and our drink but also ourselves. A spiritual bond grows and we become food and drink for one another. ”Bread for the Journey, Henri Nouwen (1997).

Long before the invention of Karo corn syrup, pecan pies were made with brown sugar and maple syrup. Did you know the wife of a Karo executive began using corn syrup in the 1930’s in a pecan pie and the rest was history?

Enjoy this wonderful recipe. It is not so gooey and sweet. And yes I know in a perfect world we wouldn’t be eating refined sugars but I also believe that things that you make by hand with love and gratitude can cancel out the bad stuff.

Maple Syrup & Brown Sugar Pecan Pie

1 cup packed dark brown sugar, ⅔ cup pure maple syrup, 3 large eggs

3 Tbsp butter melted, 1 Tbsp bourbon or 1 tsp pure vanilla extract

¼ tsp salt, 2 cups pecan halves, lightly toasted

Preheat oven to 375°

Pie Crust of Your Choice. If fresh, chill for 15 minutes. If frozen, thaw. Line pie shell with foil or parchment. Fill with pie weights, dried beans or rice. Bake 12-14 minutes. Remove foil and weights. Bake 13-15 minutes longer until golden

In large bowl, with wire whisk, mix sugar, syrup, eggs, butter, bourbon and salt until well blended.  Add pecans

Place mixture in hot pie shell. Place on a jelly roll pan

Bake 40-50 minutes. Check after 35 minutes.

A Gift Certificate to The Mindfulness Center in Bethesda MD. This gem on Elm Street has a wonderful balance of yoga, tai chi, NIA yoga dance, meditation and breathing classes to appeal to all ages and stages of ability as well as workshops, etc. They have a great deal for new clients of $49/mo for an almost unlimited number of classes. www.themindfulnesscenter.com

Carlson Labs Vitamin D3 drops 2000iu per drop available at Whole Foods and other apothecaries or from www.iherb.com code BOT164. This compact bottle is filled with liquid sunshine that has no taste and is one less pill you have to take.

The Artist’s Way by Julia Cameron. This life changing book is a 12 week self guided course on awakening or reawakening your creative self. Initially developed for “blocked” artists, this book is a must do for all us left brained folks. www.theartistsway.com

Oil of Lavender – my “first aid kit” in a bottle. Antimicrobial, antibacterial, antiviral. Make sure it’s therapeutic pure Lavandula Augustifolia……with no alcohol or additives. There are many good brands. Mine is Young Living.  www.youngliving.com/744096 Lavender is the most versatile of all essential oils. Lavender has been clinically evaluated for its relaxing effects. It may be used to cleanse cuts, bruises and skin irritations. The fragrance is calming, relaxing and balancing — physically and emotionally. See Articles for more information on the history and uses of Lavender.

Raindrop Technique Massage – a gentle massage using specific essential oils that are antiviral/antibacterial/antimicrobial. This technique is part of my cold/flu prevention strategy every fall and it feels great. The Raindrop Technique was developed in the 1980’s based on research with essential oils (thyme, basil, marjoram, peppermint, oregano, cypress and wintergreen) as antimicrobial agents. The oils are dripped like “rain drops” along the spine and back muscles and gently massaged. I go to Relaxing Alternatives in Gaithersburg www.relaxingalternatives.com but many massage therapists are trained in this technique. For a real treat, add a Hot Stone Massage.

More Self Care gifts and ideas to come…….

And they are all about Self Care.

Self Care is not selfish. It is treating yourself like a precious object. Nurturing your self is neither selfish nor frivolous. Give a gift of self care to your self or a loved one this holiday season. Feed your whole self – not just your physical self but also your emotional, spiritual and mental self – with some of the following ideas.

Soaps and Bath Salts from The Joyful Bath Co. Bethesda resident Rochel Roland made a career switch to create the most heavenly bath salts and soaps. All natural, no preservatives or artificial fragrances using mineral rich salts from the Mediterranean and Dead Seas  and other natural ingredients like coconut oil, ginger root, green tea. My favorites are Mellow Yellow and Oatsie Floatsie. www.joyfulbathco.com

True Love by Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh. This little gem of a book will guide you in the art and benefit of meditation & love and learning to be fully present. A perfect stocking stuffer.

Reflexology/Accupressure at Nirvana Reflexology Spa in Rockville MD. This hour long treatment is so relaxing and pleasurable, you feel like you’re floating when you walk out so this is a great excuse to not rush. You don’t even have to take your clothes off or get your hair all greasy and the price is definitely right at $45 for the 60 minute Nirvana Signature. www.nirvanareflexologyspa.com

More Self Care gifts and ideas to come tomorrow…….

I do not have celiac disease but I am one of more than 30 million Americans who are sensitive or allergic to gluten (a protein in wheat, barley and rye). I danced and dated a gluten free diet several years ago and noticed I felt better and I lost a few lbs. easily. I got seriously committed to the relationship about six months ago and it’s been great. If I cheat I suffer the consequences almost immediately – almost like a hangover in the middle of the night. We Americans eat way too much wheat (read the labels, it’s everywhere) and American wheat is so hybridized that it has 3x the amount of gluten that European wheat has. It is not uncommon for Europeans moving here to develop digestive problems they never had before. Many experts on ADD and autism suggest getting off gluten immediately. The “glue” in gluten which makes your bread stick together and so yummy and chewy can make everything sticky and gummy inside you including your brain and your gut.
Being gluten free during the holidays isn’t easy but I survived Thanksgiving. I’m not sure I can skip my great grandmother Granny’s cookies and my cousin’s almond cream cheese danish this holiday season but I’m going to try. Check out Monica Corrado’s SimplyBeingWellwebsite at www.simplybeingwell.com for GF cooking classes in the DC area.

If you aren’t a football person, Albert Haynesworth is the over paid, underperforming defensive tackle for the Washington Redskins who was suspended this week (and hopefully permanently) without pay for the remainder of the season. He is the epitome of “conduct detrimental to the team”. Consider your body/your life your “team”. What is on your team right now that isn’t serving some aspect of your life? What is detrimental to your “team”? Take this time before New Year’s to think about what you want/need to get rid of, that is no longer serving you. My guess is your team will play better with out it. Personally, getting rid of the clutter on my desk will make my team perform better and cutting back on caffeine will enable me to manage my occasional headaches better. What about you?